LeBron James saved this game for the Los Angeles Lakers…on the defensive end?
While other sports outlets were cheerleading the 26th playoff triple-double of LeBron’s career, Laker Show Life was very critical of his play. He was not aggressive until the last quarter when the Lakers were down 20.
After the NBA letter from the Lakers was read around the world, LeBron James got to the line much more often than the previous three games. He shot very well from the line hitting 11-14 from the charity line. That helped push his scoring total to 26 points, but he only shot 7-18 shooting from the field.
HIGHLIGHTS: @KingJames piles up 26 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. pic.twitter.com/ScEMHvwfIX
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) September 25, 2020
Despite his off night shooting, LeBron played a much better floor game, grabbing 9 rebounds and dishing out 8 assists (NO TURNOVERS!).
The game turned around in crunch time when he switched with Rajon Rondo to guard Jamal Murray. He played excellent defense on Jamal Murray down the stretch kept him from a 40 point night. After that, the Lakers held the Nuggets without a field goal for the final 3 minutes.
Taking a deeper look at LeBron’s defensive impact.
- LeBron guarded Jamal Murray for 12 consecutive possessions in the last 5:46.
- Murray went 0-2 from the field with a turnover. 1 of the 2 misses, LeBron had a block some thought was a foul.
- By possession nine, Monte Morris was the primary ballhandler.
- LeBron also scored 7 points during that run!
In this analytics age, box scores with numbers are supposed the dictate how a player plays. LeBron shot much worse in this game than in Game 3, but influenced a Lakers win in other ways. He was aggressive drawing fouls instead of firing up 30 footers and his defense was everything.
Are you as confused as the staff is trying to figure out this game? We haven’t even got to the weirdest part of the game yet. Read on to see what’s next!